The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus and method which manage and display a plurality of data on the basis of parameters (e.g., date and time), related to the respective data, like database and a filing system.
In a file management system and a database system of a computer, for example, date and time is often used as an important parameter for managing a large number of data. In a file management system, date and time when a file is created, and date and time when the file is updated are automatically added to the file as its attribute.
Further, in a database system, a date and time filed is set in a field in a record, and the data may be managed on the basis of the date and time written in the date and time field. FIG. 25 is a view showing an example of data structure of a general personnel management database. In the personnel management database 30 shown in FIG. 25, date of birth is written in a date field 31 and respective personal data are managed on the basis of data in the date field 31. Further, in a schedule application software (called "scheduler", hereinafter), schedules are managed by date and time. For example, if an item on a schedule is a conference, by registering a document file to be used in the conference in the scheduler in relation to the item on the schedule, it is convenient to check which document file is used in the conference at a later time.
Further, when searching desired data from a large number of data, date-and-time data is a very important parameter. In the file management system, by displaying files in order of time on the basis of date and time of creation and/or correction of data, a user may be able to find a desired file by recalling his/her memory of when he/she created and updated the file. Further, in a database system, e.g., a personnel management system, searching and displaying data in order of date of birth is often performed. Furthermore, in the scheduler, it is possible to check each item on a schedule in order of time, in addition, it is also possible to find a desired data file registered in relation to an item on the schedule.
The most general unit of memory for a user would be date and time. The user often has a vague memory of date when a file is created or when the file is updated, although not a specific date. Therefore, if the user forgot a name of a desired file to be searched, by comparing the vague memory of creation and/or correction date of the desired file with the creation and/or correction dates of files, it is possible to find the desired file. The same thing can be said for using the scheduler, and a desired item may be found based on the vague memory of date and time. In the database system, data can be read in order of, e.g., date of birth by displaying the data in order of date of birth.
However, in the aforesaid file management system, whether creation and/or correction date and time of files which are displayed next to each other on a list are very close to each other or far apart from each other can not be known at a glance. Therefore, a user has to read creation and/or correction date and time of each of the files on the list, imagine time intervals between the date and time of the files to be either short or long, and compare the imagined time intervals with his/her memory to find a desired file. FIG. 26 is a view showing an example of displayed files by a general file management system.
In FIG. 26, reference numeral 40 denotes a file display window of the file management system, and files in a designated directory 41 are sorted and displayed in order of time. However, in order to grasp a sense that about when those files are created, for example, a user has to check date and time of the files displayed in a time/date area 42 one by one.
In displaying data by the database system, an interval between date of birth of given personal data and that of adjoining personal data sorted in order of date of birth may be one year, or may be ten years. Accordingly, independently of differences in interval between date and time of files, data sorted with respect to time are displayed one after another at the same intervals. Therefore, a user has to confirm the date of birth of each personal data by number, and imagine what is the interval between data of adjoining two data. In addition, it is even more troublesome for a user to obtain tendency of the personal data, such that there are many people belonging to a certain generation but there are a little people belonging to another generation. The user may be able to grab tendency of the personal data after performing troublesome and time-consuming work, such as grouping dates of birth by generation and displaying it, or making a graph of date of birth.
In order to overcome the aforesaid problems, a system capable of displaying data in such a manner that a user can intuitively have a sense of time is demanded.